Unsolicited Advice
by ElizabethDarcy78
Summary: Don has the best of intentions when he tries to give Peggy some unsolicited advice about her love life, but things don't go as planned. Don/Peggy *One-Shot. **SPOILERS FOR SEASON 7A. ***Matthew Weiner and Lionsgate own everything, I own nothing.


Blurb: Don has the best of intentions when he tries to give Peggy some unsolicited advice about her love life, but things don't go as planned. *One Shot

* * *

"Pretty unbelievable news huh?"

"Yes...wait, which part?"

"All of it. Bert's passing, merging with McCann, Burger Chef, Ted coming back..."

"Yes..." Peggy said, staring off into space.

"Listen," Don said as he closed the door to Peggy's office. "I know this is none of my business, and I am the last person who should be giving relationship advice. But as a wise man once said, don't waste your youth on age, Peggy. You can do better than Ted."

"Ted isn't that old...aren't you two about the same age? And what are you even talking about?" Peggy asked feigning ignorance.

Don gave her a knowing look. "Come on, Peggy. It's no secret what happened between the two of you. Ted asked me to switch places with him so that he could go to California in my place. He wanted to put some distance between you two and keep his marriage and family intact."

"Oh." Peggy said quietly.

"You knew that right?"

Peggy grimaced, "I guess so. I think I just assumed that you made him leave. It was easier to blame you than to blame him and accept responsibility for my own actions."

Don looked at her askance. "Why?"

"Because you were pretty horrible then. I don't know what was going on with you, but it was obvious to everyone that you were drinking all the time and that you were miserable. And you had to make sure that everyone around you was miserable too. It was as if when you saw something beautiful happening, you had to destroy it."

Don frowned, "I suppose that's true."

"But _you_ didn't make Ted cheat on his wife, or make him tell me that he was going to leave her for me. You didn't make me fall in love with him either."

"Do you still love him?"

Peggy shrugged, "I don't know. He's not the man I thought he was. He's weak..."

"He's a broken man, Peggy. I can see it because I've been there. Let me ask you this. If he were to leave his wife and ask you to take him back, would you do it?"

"I don't know, Don. It has taken me a long time to get over him. I don't know if I would want to go down that road again."

"What was so great about Ted anyway?" Don asked with genuine curiousity.

"That's hard for me to answer now obviously. At the time I would have said that he reminded me a lot of you. He's very driven, he's a perfectionist. He was very encouraging to me when I first started at CGC. I needed that after the way we left things here."

Don sighed, "Peggy, I don't know if this matters at all to you now, but I'm so sorry for how I treated you. I took you for granted. I was completely wrapped up in my own bullshit and I didn't even see what I was doing. You were right to leave."

"It's okay, Don. It was important for me to see if I could make it without you."

"And you did. You did great."

Peggy smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Don. I lied when I said that we didn't miss you when you were gone. I missed you...very much."

"Thank you. I'm not going to say that I'm glad that things happened the way that they did, but I think everything ended up working out for the best. I'm getting another divorce." Don said quietly.

"Oh! I'm sorry Don."

Don shook his head. "Don't be. It was a long time coming. I never should have married her."

"No, you shouldn't have." Peggy said matter-of-factly.

"Why didn't you say something?" Don asked, clearly agitated. "You could have saved me from making one of the biggest mistakes of my life!"

"Really, Don?" Peggy said incredulously. "Would you honestly have listened to me at that time? You were in _love_. There was no reasoning with you!"

Don sighed, "You're right."

Peggy grimaced, "I was really disappointed because we stopped talking after that."

Don shook his head, "I'm so sorry. You know you've always been the only one who really gets me here."

Peggy smirked,"I know. You're not exactly the easiest man to get to know."

"But you really know me. And I know you too...probably better than you realize. I'm truly sorry for how badly I've treated you. I want you to know how much I truly value your insight and opinion." Don said sincerely.

Peggy smiled, "Thank you, Don. That really means a lot coming from you."

Don smiled warmly, "You're welcome. Can I offer you a piece of unsolicited advice?"

Peggy looked at Don skeptically, "I guess so."

"Forget about Ted. Move forward and find somebody better. What about Stan? That kid is crazy about you!"

"Stan has a girlfriend...and he's like my brother." Peggy said wryly.

"He's been in love with you for years." Don said pointedly.

"What? Are you serious?" Peggy was floored.

Don nodded, "Yes. He was almost as devastated as I was when you left."

"I had no idea." Peggy said honestly. "Well, what should I do Don? How would I even go about changing things between us...with one of my closest friends? What if I say something, and he doesn't reciprocate and it ruins everything that we have together?"

Don took a deep breath before answering, "I don't know Peggy. Tell him how you feel. Make a grand gesture. Kiss him. You are a beautiful, intelligent woman. Any man would be lucky to have you. If it were me...I would be so flattered that you felt I was worthy of you, and I would jump at the chance to be with you."

Peggy stood in silence, shocked about what Don had just inadvertently revealed to her. She stared at the man in front of her. The man who in the past had frustrated and angered her more often than not. The man she had spent years trying to please, years trying to work her way out of his shadow. The man who now stood before her having been greatly humbled by having to work as her subordinate. The man who selflessly allowed her to have all of the success and accolades with the Burger Chef pitch when he thought his career was over. The man whom she thought never gave her a second look, who all but confessed to admiring her not only as a colleague, but as a woman. It was as if she was seeing him for who he truly was for the first time.

Peggy closed the distance between them and took his hands in hers. She gazed up at him, looking deep into his green eyes.

"I love you, Don."

Don's eyes registered his surprise at her words and he smiled warmly. Don leaned down and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Everything else fell away and it was just the two of them. Don pulled her into an embrace and Peggy rest her head against his chest and put her arms around him. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed the feeling of being close to Don, her friend and mentor. Don rest his chin on the top of her head and for the first time felt complete and happy.

"I love you too, Peggy."


End file.
